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Living in a rural area can be a wonderful experience. It is more intimate than life in a busy city and the residents tend to be more tightly knit. Many people move to the countryside with their eye on retirement, but for some, the wish is to become an independent business owner where freedom, lifestyle, and profits are balanced. If you are one of those people thinking about moving to a place with less hustle, bustle, and bright lights to open a small business, this article is for you.
There are a number of business ideas open to rural residents which will make you as an owner part of the community. Depending on where you live, these may be a few suggestions to consider:
Rural Stay
Whether it is a bed and breakfast or a small self-catering apartment, visitors to the countryside are always looking for quaint places to stay. You could even support other local vendors by purchasing goods from them as a welcome gift for your guests – these could be anything from a homemade gift card to a welcome basket filled with treats from a local bakery.
House/Pet sitting Service
Some people looking at business opportunities prefer to work full-time, while assessing if there is a market for their potential product or service. Sitting services, whether for pets or homes, are one such example. These services can be rendered part-time as a start and should the demand grow, it can become a full-time income-earner. Then, further down the line and as the business becomes more established, you could employ other members of your town, allowing them to earn some money too.
Speciality Shop
Residents may often need to travel to procure items of a special nature, so why not bring some of those goods to their doorstep, expanding as both demand and finances allow. A speciality shop could stock anything from regional wines, cured meats, organic health foods to goods imported from a certain country.
The overheads costs of running a business rurally are relatively low, especially when compared with urban areas. And, since your business can operate and sell speciality products online, locating your store in a cheaper, rural area can be advantageous.
Farming Implement Hire and Maintenance Service
To purchase a tractor or harvester is expensive. Renting one from a business that has a selection of such equipment is likely to be a more economical option. Your immediate community may not have enough farmers to warrant opening such a rental business, but the location may be close enough for farmers from other counties to travel to you and make use of your rental service.
Consider researching local industry demand, along with help from experts, such as Mark Lumsdon Taylor, especially those with dedicated resources that may be useful to a new business.
Microbrewery or Micro Distillery
The consumption of craft beers and gins is becoming more and more popular across all demographics, so opening a microbrewery or microdistillery may be an excellent opportunity to explore, especially if your town is one frequented by tourists.
In the case of a distillery you could expand your product offering from tours and tastings to include an infusion school where visitors can make their own special gin to take home. You could also sell your speciality beers and gins to local bars and pubs.
Image by FXQuadro at Getty Images Pro
These are only a few ideas to get you thinking. Whatever rurally based business you decide to open, may it be a success!
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